A representative for the actress has confirmed that the couple are ending their 9-year marriage.

"We will always love each other and be best friends, however, we have mutually decided to separate at this time,'' the entertainers said in a joint statement.

Thicke, 36, and Patton, 38, met when they were teenagers. They had a son, Julian Fuego Thicke, in 2010.

The couple did not provide further details on why they decided to part and the announcement has come as a surprise to many.

In recent interviews the pair have gushed over how much they love each other.

But Patton did reveal last September that married life isn't always an easy feat.

"Marriage is not what you call a sprint, it's a marathon," she admitted to the New York Daily News.

"The funny thing about fairy tales is they end when people get married. They never go after that. That would be a different story.

"Not everything in life is going to be perfect. You can't expect perfection from anyone."

There was speculation Patton and Thicke's marriage hit a rough patch when the singer performed a raunchy routine with 21-year-old Miley Cyrus at last year's MTV Video Music Awards.

But Patton has previously said she wasn't fazed by the spectacle, which involved Cyrus grinding on her husband in a nude set of underwear.

Thicke had a breakthrough last year with the international hit Blurred Lines, which was nominated for several Grammy Awards. Patton has appeared in the films Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Idlewild, and Precious.

Patton has also appeared in Thicke's music videos, including Lost Without U and Love After War. She was the inspiration behind most of his music, and she appeared on the cover of his 2003 debut, A Beautiful World.